LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
REDUCING OUR
CARBON FOOTPRINT
ONE STEP AT A TIME
2009 AWRA Climate Change Conference
Anchorage Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
May 8, 2009
A M unicipalPerspective
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
Wendy Kemp, Manager, Water Resources, Environmental Services
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Agenda
1. Background
2. Corporate Strategic Drivers
3. Adapting to the New Reality
4 Successes
4.
5. Our Footprint
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
York Region – at a glance
• Nine area municipalities
• Corporate Vision
– Strong, caring communities
• Cores Services
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Environmental
Roads & Transit
Public Health
Community Services & Housing
Corporate Services
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
We’re Growing!
• Population – 169,000 in 1971
– 1.5 million by 2031
1 5 illi b 2031
• 69% of landscape is protected by legislation
• Focus on intensification
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Take a step back
Take
a step back
Strategic Corporate Drivers
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Living Better, not without
• Enable more integrated decisions
Enable more integrated decisions
• Action areas
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Sustainable Natural Environment
Sustainable
Natural Environment
Corporate culture
Economic Vitality
Economic Vitality
Healthy communities
Education
Monitoring
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Adapting to a different reality
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Winters are getting shorter
Annual average temperatures are warmer
Annual average temperatures are warmer
Duration of ice cover on Great Lakes is shorter
Heavy rainstorms are common
Heavy rainstorms are common
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Corporate Clean Air Strategy
• Action Plan – day to day operations
– long term planning
• Minimize emissions
– smog precursors
smog precursors
– greenhouse gases
• Establish a baseline of Information
f
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Environmental Services Successes
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Water for Tomorrow
I&I Reduction Program
I&I Reduction Program
Watershed Planning
W&WW Energy
W&WW Energy Management Program
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Your water. Your Community.
Your
water Your Community
Your choice.
• Goal – to reduce water consumption
• Initiated in 1998
• Water Efficiency Master Plan
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Rebates on water saving devices Water audits
Education
Legislative reform
Legislative reform
Behavioural change • Saved 20 million litres of water per day and 22, 891 tonnes of CO2 per year
• Plan to save another 23 million litres of water per day in the next 10 years
p
y
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Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Find. Fix. Fund.
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Goal – recover sewer capacity
Initiated in 2008
Extensive Regional monitoring program
Significant collaboration
Stats
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~2100 miles of wastewater mains
43,700 manholes
Aging 40 year infrastructure
Aging 40 year infrastructure
$24 million cost improvements
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Watershed Planning
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Legislative requirement
Legislative
requirement
Tool to manage water resources
Avenue to assess climate change
Avenue to assess climate change
Identifies early actions to mitigate
– Urban green retrofits
Ub
t fit
– Rain gardens
– Enhanced infiltration
Enhanced infiltration
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
• Energy Management – EEMS software for tracking and analysis
• Energy Consumption
• Fuel Use
– Establish a baseline and municipal benchmarks
Establish a baseline and municipal benchmarks
– Focus new capital projects on green alternatives
• Update Engineering Standards
• Obtain LEED® Certification
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
One step at a time…we’ve just begun!
• Climate change requires –
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Corporate vision
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Strategic Planning
Monitoring and measurement
Collaboration and integration across the Organization
Staff resources
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Time and effort
d ff
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time
LEAVING AN ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY
AWRA Climate Change, ANCHORAGE, AK
Thank you!
Wendy Kemp, Manager, Water Resources
wendy kemp@york ca
[email protected]
Regional Municipality of York
Newmarket Ontario
Newmarket, Ontario
www.york.ca
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint, One Step at a time